Airbnb

Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world — online or from a mobile phone or tablet. Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 191 countries. And with world-class customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.
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Advice for Entrepreneurs

“Paul Graham told us 'It's better to have 100 customers that love you than to have a million customers that just sort of like you' and it's advice that we still follow to this day. Don't worry about growth, just build something that people love.”

Brian Chesky, CEO

About Airbnb

“For so long, people thought Airbnb was about renting houses. But really, we’re about belonging. What makes this global community so special is that for the very first time, you can belong anywhere.”

Brian Chesky, CEO

Airbnb’s Growth Story

In October 2007, Brian Chesky moved into an apartment with Joe Gebbia in San Francisco, but they didn’t have enough money to pay the rent. A major design conference was coming to San Francisco, and all the hotels were sold out, so they decided to rent out the extra space in the apartment to people attending the conference. Their guests had a local San Francisco experience, and Brian and Joe not only made enough money to pay the rent, but also became great friends with the guests. They realized after they checked out that this was an idea with real potential, and Brian asked Joe, “who is the best engineer you know?” Joe said “Nate Blecharczyk” and the three founders got together to start Airbnb.